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Anri Runefaust
"This world ours! The air we breath, the seas we fish, the land we tread on does not belong to the Legion! It belongs to those who live here and call this a home! Stand strong my brothers and sisters of Azeroth! We shall not crumble before the might of the Legion, nay! We shall make them crumble before us!" -Speech given by Anri Runefaust right before reaching the Broken Shore. (Year 32 PDP) Chancellor Anri Runefaust is the Chancellor to the Runefire Council, having stepped down as its leader. She is still a leader to her people, and uses her vast knowledge of Fel and Demons to provide assistance wherever she can against to help tip the scales against the Burning Legion. Category:Characters Category:Warlocks =History= Early Past (Year -20 to Year 10) 'A Rough Beginning' Anri Runefaust was born twenty years before the opening of the Dark Portal to parents of poor fortune. She lost her mother at childbirth, and her father was killed when Anri was 3. Since 3 she was on her own, growing up an orphan in the streets of Stromgarde. She stole to survived, lied, cheated, and did whatever she could to simply thrive as a dirt-poor orphan. Not much of note happened in these early years until she reached the age of 23, when Azeroth was changed forever. As Anri grew, she developed a natural talent for Arcane magic, yet she would never realize her skill in it as she would abuse her power to commit petty crimes in Stromgarde. Like many, Anri heard rumors of a threat appearing in the south, but King Trollbane had been preaching about the trolls to the east being a more real threat, and thus not many knew of the Orcish invasion of Stormwind. After a few months into the year, word slowly stopped coming from Stormwind. Many people of Stromgarde, Anri included, shrugged off this information and focused on the threat of the trolls, until one fateful night. Anri had been trying her hands for a few weeks at magical highway robbery. She came across a mysteriously dressed figure and stealthily attempted to loot the man of his personal belongings via magical meanings. While she did so successfully, she caught the attention of not the traveler, but his pet; a demon. While this demon was only an imp, and quite a submissive one at that, it drew Anri's curious nature to the creature. She allowed the imp to steal the belongings back for its master, and she had bounced up to introduce herself to him, demanding from him to know more about the demon. The man did not cave in to her demands and promptly ignored her, continuing on his travels. However he wouldn't be travelling alone and with his imp, as Anri would prompt stalk the warlock for nearly a week, leaving behind her life of thieving in Stromgarde to follow this man and his curious-looking demon. The man did his best to scare Anri off without actually harming her, but it was to no avail. After a week of non-stop harassment by Anri, the man caved and agreed to take her with her, teaching her what he was discovering. 'Master and Student' So the traveler from the south took in Anri under his wing, his somewhat foul exterior hiding his good nature underneath. He was a man by the name of Ramaldu von Darksol, but young Anri simply called him Master Darksol. He explained to her that he was a traveler from Stormwind, a mage from Grand Hamlet who experienced the new magic brought to Azeroth by creatures called 'Orcs'. He had captured one of these Orcs and forced him to teach Darksol this new Fel Magic. He spoke of a massive war (the First War), which he did not believe the Humans of Stormwind would win alone. He spoke about going north to find more allies, but the truth Anri would later come to find is that her master actually deserted his post to learn more about Fel Magic. Anri and Darksol would travel around the Arathi Highlands and parts of Hillsbrad for several years, never staying in one place to long. He taught Anri much, and the more he taught her and studied, the more his own knowledge grew of Fel magic and demons. Despite the overwhelming power Fel Magic could bring, Darksol was a very cautious man, always preaching to Anri that she should never give in to the want for power, but rather have a better understanding of it so it could never be used for devious purposes. Time flew as the two traveled alone, learning, studying, growing their knowledge together. The First War and Second Wars both came and went, and neither Darksol nor Anri had any real interest in participating. They stayed away from major towns and cities, realizing that the people around would not understand the magic yet and the purposes it could provide to defeating foes. Her life was slow and simple like this until she was 30. At 30, Anri and a aging Darksol were travelling near Stromgarde where Darksol was apprehended by Arathi forces on First War charges of abandoning his countrymen in their time of need. Anri was about to unleash a flurry of Fel Magic on the Arathi guards, but Darksol stopped her, telling her to continue on with her life and her studies, and he surrendered willingly. He was taken back south and declared a traitor, eventually being put to death before the year was out. The Wanderer Years (Year 10-29) Dawn of the Third War (Year 21) Anri, who was left alone in the Arathi Highlands, was left to wander and study for a great many years, keeping to herself and her demonic studies. The Second War came to an end, until she heard rumors of Prince Arthas's return from Northrend, and the regicide that took place in Lordaeron. Anri stayed hidden from everyone, Alliance, Horde, and the new Scourge threat that plagued Lordaeron, as she watched the world she grew up with burn. One after another, Lordaeron, Stratholme, Quel'thalas, all fell to the Scourge's madness. When the Burning Legion was summoned into Azeroth by the Lich Kel'thuzad, Anri's interest sparked up seeing a plethora of demons. It dawned on her that there was so much she did not know about demons and the Burning Legion. In secret, Anri followed their tail of destruction, learning as much as she could from her observations and studies so she could turn that right around and use it against the Burning Legion. Posing as a Dalaran refugee, she fled with Jaina Proudmoore to Theramore, staying with them for a small amount of time until she she heard about the fall of a great demon known as Mannoroth. Travelling north in secret, she visited Demon's Fall Canyon, studying the battle ground and the place where Grom Hellscream fell. Returning to Theramore, she joined Jaina Proudmoore and went north to participate in the Battle of Mount Hyjal. After the battle, she learned much about how the Burning Legion operates, and returned as quickly as she could to Arathor to continue her studies alone, vowing to continue her master's work of turning the Burning Legion upon itself. Outland (Year 26) Quite a few years went by, and the world around Anri seemed to have crumbled in the wake of the Battle of Mt. Hyjal. Alterac fell, and less than a year later the Kingdom of Stromgarde fell as well. Realizing it wasn't safe in the Highlands anymore, Anri snuck her way south, steering clear of most everyone. She arrive in the Blasted Lands, where her biggest source of Fel knowledge would be in relation to that of the Dark Portal. Deciding that this desolate place would become her home, she began to build her house, which would someday evolve into the town of Rune Watch. Here she stayed for many years as the world around her proceeded in its usual war craft. She stayed in her home, studying, learning what she could, growing her powers. In Year 26, eight months before her 31st birthday, the Blasted Lands shook with terrible power as the Dark Portal was once more reopened. Lord Kazzak, a demon lord from Outland, rampaged across Azeroth before finally being defeated by members of the Alliance and Horde. In the wake of the chaos, Anri herself decided that this was a once in a life time opportunity to learn more about the Legion. Before the Portal was closed (only to be reopened later on by the Alliance and Horde), Anri snuck into the portal, coming fourth to a literal brand new world, ravaged by the Legion and other various forces. It was here Anri spent many years learning about the Burning Legion on a more in-depth level. The Battle of Mt. Hyjal was terrifying, but she learned more of the corruptive influences here in Outland. Fel Magic had twisted and tainted the Orcs, turning them into blood-skinned Fel Orcs. She was able to learn of the various ways to infects the environment, learning about the Sceptar of Sargeras resulting in Outland's current state. Such a weapon of outlandish Fel power was a marvel to Anri. A single staff to destroy an entire planet, surely this couldn't be real? But she continued on in her research, staying between Hellfire Peninsula and Shadowmoon Valley, even long after the fall of Illidan Stormrage at the Black Temple. Returning to a Changed World (Year 29) Three years have past with Anri remaining in Outland, learning what she could. She was a fiend for knowledge, devouring as much information about Fel and the Burning Legion as she could. Feeling as if she learned all that she could from Outland, she returned home to Azeroth, only to find that the very world was not the same as when she left. The Lich King has assaulted the world, and subsequently been defeated. The wounds Azeroth suffered from the Lich King paled in comparison to that of the great Cataclysm. The landscape, Anri had realized, was forever changed. Earthly fissures and unending scars dotted the world as everything, from the elements to the Alliance and Horde themselves, was thrust into a flurry of chaos. Realizing that it was past time to return to her homeland, Anri rushed to the Highlands only to find the forces of Stromgarde rallied under one banner; the Kingdom of Arathor and Lord Mathilian Lionblood. Returning to Arathor (Year 29-31) To Make a Name (Year 29) Despite her knowledge in the Fel Arts, Anri was assigned to work under a woman known as Aishah Ravencrest, a Quel'dorei who served as Arathor's Head of Intelligence. Under Aishah she learned many things; how to fight without magic, how to conceal one's self in the shadows, how to gather information and not get caught. It was due to this one on one training that Anri and Aishah became fast friends. Anri lent her knowledge where she could, using every opportunity to tell more about her studies into Demonology and Fel Magic. She shared her studies with Lord Lionblood's advisor, Winfetch Raird, Lord Lionblood himself, and Lord Lionblood's champion, Thaleon Lightwalker. Impressed with her knowledge, and how fast she learned from Aishah, she was promoted to joint leadership with Aishah for Head of Intelligence. She was quickly moving her way up in the world around her. The Iron Horde (Year 31) Anri did not get to enjoy her newfound position for very long. In the year 634, a 36 year old Anri learned of a new threat that threatened Azeroth; the rise of the Iron Horde. By the time she joined the rest of the Alliance to sally fourth in defense against the Iron Horde in the Blasted Lands, she had learned that her home there had been destroyed. Anri had accompanied a small group of Arathi soldiers into the new Dark Portal, vowing to get revenge on those who brought harm to her home world. Having stayed in Outland for a great number of years she had expected to know the layout of Draenor fairly well, but even the knowledgeable Warlock was caught off guard by this sprawling world before her. Draenor (Year 31) Draenor proved to be a significant challenge to Anri. After arriving, she veered off away from the main Arathi company and sought to accomplish her own tasks to defeat the forces of the Burning Legion that were on Draenor. After encounting a heavy Legion force in Talador, Anri recieved a grievous injury and was taken in by a group of fleeing Arakkoan refugees. Recovering and biding her time with the Arakkoan taught her a brand new form of magic she still keeps with her to this day; Arakkoan Illusion Magic. By creating a proxy totem, she had learned to be able to project appearances, such as the appearance of herself, onto the totem. Fascinated she vowed to learn more, and her friendliness to the Arakkoan would end up in a gift Anri would never forget. Before she would leave Draenor, she would befriend one of the Arakkoan Dreadwing Ravens named Beshka, and she would treat it as a close companion for a long time. As the months went on, Tanaan Jungle, where the Alliance and Horde first arrived, became a place simply infected with Fel. And where the Legion's Fel was, so to was Anri. She assisted the defending forces in Tanaan Jungle until it was time for the assault on Hellfire Citadel, in which she took part of graciously. Lending her knowledge and her expertise in fighting the Burning Legion, she helped many men and women survive Hellfire Citadel. This sort of good deed would help shape Anri into the woman she is today. Crimson Flame and Betryal (Year 31) Anri had returned to Arathor as a hero, someone who helped the Alliance in its time of need. Declining awards of fame, Anri promised to help out her home as much as possible.Lord Mathilian Lionblood had taken her up on this offer and made her his personal advisor, along side Winfetch Riard. Together the three of them sat out on their next big mission, one that would ultimately prove damning for Anri. Lord Lionblood had presented an issue before Winfetch and Anri that shocked Anri at first. He wanted to keep Arathi lands to Arathi, and not to 'half-breeds and knife-ears' as he had put it. This insane task was only known to the three of them, hoping to save honor in the face of morality. It was a top secret project. He tasked the Warlock Anri to come up with a method to wipe out all non-Humans in Arathi. Being the questioning yet ever-faithful follower that she was, Anri created a powerful Fel-based toxin she simply named 'The Crimson Flame'. In the initial test of it, the Crimson Flame was a terrifying success, one that struck fear into Anri. On her report to Mathilian Lionblood, she lied saying the test was a failure, and went to hide whatever samples of Crimson Flame she had in the ruins of her old home in the Blasted Lands. Upon returning to Arathor, Anri had told Mathilian Lionblood that she refuses to work on the project anymore, and as a result, Mathilian exposed what she was doing to the rest of those in Arathor to expose her as a traitor, painting her as the sole person working on this deadly toxin. Shocked by the betrayal, Anri used her position to try and quell these accusations. Aishah Ravencrest and Thaleon Lightwalker stood up against Mathilian Lionblood declaring that Anri would never do something like this, alone at the very least. They created a rift within Arathor, leading to a small civil war. In order to escape execution, Anri had plotted with Aishah and set bombs within the Stromgarde Mage Tower and Stromgarde Sanctum, setting them off to cause chaos within the city. Those who stood up against Mathilian Lionblood were eventually crushed and banished. Among those included Aishah, Thaleon, Anri, and even Lionblood's second in command Llainne, a well respected military commander. Rise of the Runefire Council (Year 31-32) Return of the Crimson Flame (Year 31) The banishment and exodus from Arathor turned Anri bitter on the inside. She grew to hate Mathilian Lionblood and his people with every inch of her being. She regrouped with a few survivors of the Arathi Civil War in Stormwind, and together with a few new faces like Anaxes Windshot and Animaria Bloodhaven, she set out to create a underground group known as The Crimson Flame, in the spite of Lionblood's betrayal. She destroyed her toxin at her destroyed home in the Blasted Lands so it could never be used again and set out to seek vengeance against Arathor. Discarding her name for the simple name 'Crimson Flame', Anri set out to send a message to Mathilian Lionblood that she should be feared. In a plot to send the message, a devout Arathi follower was lured to the Stormwind Docks where Animaria Bloodhaven and Anaxes Windshot sat in waiting. They ambushed him, and in a daring fight, the man was killed by Bloodhaven's poisonous Basilisk. The head of the man was sent to Stromgarde as a warning for Arathor not to intervene outside of its own borders, or the same would happen to them. Feeling that it would be a waste of time to chase Mathilian down himself, Anri turned to look for a new group to lend her assistance to; the Stormwind Silver Hand. Hope for the Future (Year 31) The guilt of what could have been done with the Crimson Flame weighed heavily on Anri's conscious. Deciding that absolution was the only course to follow, she appealed before Sir Ritchard Elric, the Highlord of the Stormwind Silver Hand. She confessed to what she had done with her time in Arathor and offered her life to him in a form of repentance, expecting to be executed. Instead of execution, Sir Ritchard instructed her to turn her life into something good so that she can live to redeem for the crimes she had committed. Amazed at his mercy, she offered her services to the Stormwind Silver Hand. She spent only a few months with Sir Ritchard's people, but they were graciously enlightening to her. She learned much about politics and the righteous path, giving them her knowledge of how to battle Fel and demons in return. While not being a Paladin herself, she served as an adviser in matters relating to the Burning Legion and Fel magic. After spending a few months within the Stormwind Silver Hand, with Lord Elric's blessing, Anri left to regroup with people from her past that she trusted. Among those included Thaleon Lightwalker and Anaxes Windshot. With them, she created a group known as The Runefire Council with the dedication of uniting people to defeating the Burning Legion, a threat she knew Azeroth was going to face sometime in the future, and when it showed up the Runefire Council would be ready. A New Home (Year 32) In the Council's early days, Anri led them out of Stormwind. But as more and more people joined the Council, she realized that she needed a proper place for her people to live. The first place that came to her mind, in her opinion, was that of her former home in the Blasted Lands. Rune Watch, even though it was destroyed, had access to the sea and hills nearby, making it a good place for a town to grow. When they arrived they saw that they had much work to do. Clearing out the debris was the easy part for Anri and the Council. Over the course of the next several months, the Council's size would grow immensely, the promise of defeat to the Burning Legion attracted others from across Azeroth to Anri's Council. The town of Rune Watch was constructed very quickly, the place where Anri's old house used to be was replaced by a massive, sprawling tower for her to work in, and many houses and other buildings were constructed for that of her Council. This tower would become Anri's new home and would simply be called 'The Tower', an indication to Anri's simplicity at the time. The Tower Campaign (Year 32) Anri's town had grown quickly, becoming a bustling headquarters for the Runefire forces. But the town and its people weren't the only thing growing. Anri's lust for knowledge led her to creating an amazing library within The Tower, making it a prime headquarters for meetings and the such. However, books weren't the only thing the knowledge Warlock kept. She kept several Fel-laden Artifacts for research purposes, including one such fractured skull she simply named the Sargerei Skull. Belonging to an unnamed Orc Warlock from Draenor, this skull housed immense power in summoning demons. Over the period of several weeks, more and more pieces of the skull appeared within Azeroth, causing Anri to launch an investigation. As the Council investigated, more and more of the pieces ended up back in The Tower until it was eventually completely reformed. The reformed skull wasn't merely an artifact. Once completely formed, a power long gone returned to it, giving the artifact sentience and life. It erupted with Chaotic energy within the tower, drawing in power from the many Fel-based artifacts and unleashing hell within Anri's home. It forced Anri into hiding within her own home, unable to fight the Sargerei Skull's power by herself. The Sargerei Skull prevented the veteran Warlock from leaving her home, causing her to call out for help to her Council and its allies. The Runefire Council and its main ally, the Embershield Protectorate, led two groups into The Tower. Together they fought many forces in The Tower, going from summoned demons to unleashed Fel artifacts. Through all and all, the group arrived to the peak of The Tower, they came across Anri possessed by the power of the Sargerei Skull. The possessed Anri turned the powers of the Sargerei Skull upon the combined forces of the Runefire Council and Embershield Protectorate, however it was not enough to stop their combined might. Together, both groups overcame Anri and the Sargerei Skull and destroyed it, freeing the Warlock from its influence. The one who dealt the destructive blow to the Sargerei Skull was a woman named Ann Winterspell, a Death Knight and bodyguard of Anri herself. After she was freed, the remaining pieces of the Sargerei Skull were banished by the holy forces of the Embershield Protectorate. The Union of Anri and Ann (Year 32) Following the events of The Tower, Anri found new interest in the woman who freed her from the Sargerei Skull's influence. The two of them spent a great deal of time together, working in tandem to restore order to the Runefire Council after the chaotic events. Not long into their relationship, Anri proposed to the Death Knight, and Ann accepted, offering the remainder of her unlife in service of Anri. Little did either one of them know, their marriage wouldn't last long. Legion's Return (Year 32-33) Battle at the Broken Shore (Year 32) Anri's prediction for the future came true. The Legion had return in full force, raining chaos down upon Azeroth with an chaotic fury. The Runefire Council, while still regrouping from The Tower incident, mobilized across Azeroth to assist in taking down the Burning Legion. The Runefire Council's defense was most noticable in Westfall, helping the Stormwind Army beat back Legion attacks at Sentinel's Hill and Moonbrook. The attacks left one thing very clear to Anri, the Legion had to be stopped no matter the cost. Calling upon the heroes who saved her, from both the Runefire Council and the Embershield Protectorate, the woman rallied fourth a large enough force of both troops and ships to join the Alliance on its way to the Broken Shore. Anri, alongside Thaleon Lightwalker, led Runefire's forces on the Shore and joined the Alliance in combat, confronting Gul'dan himself. Though the Warlock never did battle with Gul'dan, she felt the same sense of dread as she did in Hellfire Citadel back on Draenor, and after seeing the Horde start to fall back, she ordered the Council and Embershield Protectorate to retreat. Upon retreating, Anri received a horrific injury of Felfire to her face, causing the Warlock to write in agony and fall unconscious. Thanks to the efforts of Thaleon Lightwalker and Ann Runefaust, Anri was successfully brought home, but her face would be forever disfigured because of this event. From this date on, Anri would recount the Battle at the Broken Shore as being one of her worst defeated ever suffered. Destruction of Rune Watch (Year 32) It would be some weeks for the Council to fully recover its strength, Anri included. Like many, she believed the Horde's retreat, no matter the reason, resulted in the defeat of the Alliance, and to a lesser extent the Runefire Council and the Embershield Protectorate. Once Anri recovered, she led the Council to Dalaran on the Broken Isles, and from there she worked personally with the Black Harvest Council, who was recruiting Warlocks of renown to fight against the Legion. While she and the Council were in the Dalaran, Legion sabetours infiltrated Rune Watch, her home for many years, and lay waste to the town as they were seeking the Council's leader, Anri. The destruction of Rune Watch devastated Anri, and to protect the people of the Council, she transferred leadership over to Thaleon Lightwalker, where he relocated the Council's forces to a town named Runecrest, named in honor of Anri Runefaust. From here, Thaleon would lead the Council and keep in communication with Anri for some time. Anri devoted much of her time to the Black Harvest Council, believing that being with them would make her people safe once more. But she couldn't be more wrong. Upon visiting Stormwind City to spend some time with her wife, Anri was ambushed by an Eredar Assassin, and the resulting battle ended up with killing Ann, driving Anri into a frenzy. After destroying the Eredar Assassin, she returned to the Black Harvest Council and prepared to return to the Broken Shore. Never again was she going to let the Legion take something she held dear. Legionfall (Year 32) Anri joined the Black Harvest Council in assisting the Armies of Legionfall on the Broken Shore. Together with many of the other Warlocks, she paved the way for the Armies of Legionfall to establish a base of operations on the Broken Shore. For weeks she worked alongside of some of Azeroth's most well-known champions until a sizeable force was able to breach the Tomb of Sargeras and shut down the Legion's gateway to Azeroth. Anri, like many others, encountered fierce resistance inside the Tomb of Sargeras. However her skills is understanding Fel Magic and demonic strategy proved vital in many situations, as she herself focused on the actual demonic threat that was in the Tomb. Though difficult, she eventually triumphed over the main threats, but at a cost. During the combined effort to take down the Avatar of Sargeras, Anri suffered a heavy wound and was put into a coma for four days. When she woke up, the sky had changed drastically, as there was a large planet in the sky. To her surprise and equal horror, she learned of Illidan Stormrage's victory over Kil'jaden, and what occured after that. Seeing Argus in the sky, the home of the Legion, filled Anri with terror and excitement. With Argus so close to Azeroth, she realized the horror the Legion can unleash. Yet, with Argus so close to Azeroth, she realized now may be the best and only opportunity they have to defeat the Legion in their home. She discovered information that the Exodar was recruiting people to travel on the Vindicaar to head to Argus to fight the Legion, and Anri quickly signed aboard as quick as she could. Antorus, the Burning Throne (Year 33) Anri arrived on Argus while still healing from her wounds from the Tomb of Sargeras. The longer she felt like she waited, the worse the situation would've become on Argus without her. Once on Argus, she stepped away from the Army of the Light to regroup with a few loyal members of the Runefire Council who joined her on Argus, including Thaleon Lightwalker and the Highborne mage, Hesskessana. Together, her small band of Runefire champions led several successful strikes against the Legion's defenses across Argus, before regrouping with the Army of the Light at the Legion's main control; Antorus, the Burning Throne. Here Anri was prepared to give everything to destroy the enemy she has spent her life studying, and many of her champions were in agreement. Together with the Army of the Light, they breached Antorus and fought within it depths. It wouldn't be until they encounter Portal Keeper Hasabel that the Council experienced its first heavy loss, with Hesskessana being blown into one of the nearby portals leading to a demon-controlled world. Without her arcane skills and companionship, Anri would struggle against the onslaught of Legion forces. Yet her loss didn't dissuade Anri from punishing forward, leading the rest of her group. The second major loss to Anri happened not long after the Portal Keeper, yet it wasn't by the hands of the Legion. As they campaigned on Argus, Thaleon Lightwalker was completely disgusted with how Anri was focusing on the Legion without worry or cause to her own people. For months he had felt like she abandoned her people, and this spiraled in a downward path into pure hate for the Paladin. To him, he has done a much better job at leading the people of the Runefire Council, so he waited, he plotted. If Anri was to come back from Antorus, successfully, there would be no stopping her from retaking control of the Runefire Council, and the devout Paladin would not let that happen. Thaleon Lightwalker had been observing Anri's slowly weakening state since they arrived on Argus, and he worked to slowly weaken her more. He had noticed Hesskessana's loyalty to Anri and believed her to be a threat, so he moved to act against the Highborne, betraying her and casting her into a portal during the combat against Portal Keeper Hasabel, making Anri believe that the Portal Keeper was the cause of it. Before the Army of the Light arrived at the Legion's inner sanctum, Anri and the Runefire Champions, alongside the Army of the Light, went into Antorus's underbelly to fight the Fel-wrought machinations. It was here Thaleon's plan struck; he ambushed Anri and attempted to slay her on the spot. Anri was caught off guard and recieved a near-fatal wound, however Antorus was riddled with Fel energy, and the Warlock wasn't going to let that go to waste. Gathering up what strength she had left, Anri unleashed a torrent of Felfire on Thaleon, who attempted to to shield himself with the Light, but was not strong himself to withstand both her own natural Fel ability and the Fel energy of Antorus, and as a result Thaleon Lightwalker was burned alive by someone he once considered to be like a sister. Anri was incredibly weakened by this point. Most of her champions had either fallen, or abandoned her to join with the Army of the Light. Her life-force fading, she turned to the only way to survive a little longer that she knew. She found three semi-powerful demons and slew them, turning their souls into potent soul crystals that she could drain life energy from. This method would be ultimately bad for her, but she didn't plan on surviving Antorus as it was. Somewhat revitalized and feeling powerful in this unholy sanctum, she rejoined the forces of the Army of the Light as they slew the Coven of the Shivara. With the power of the three soul crystals, Anri was able to join in the fray against Aggramar, the fallen titan. After the fall of Aggramar, many champions followed to fight Argus the Unmaker, but Anri volunteered to stay behind and hold off Legion reinforcements. In truth, she believed once she left Antorus and joined the fight on Argus, she would lose a great deal of power, and thus decided to remain where she was best suited. It would be quite some time until she would hear of the victory against Argus, and seeing no reason to stay in Antorus, Anri would make the long journey back to the Vindicaar, and from there to Argus. A New Council (Year 33) Return to Stormwind (Year 33) The power conflict between Anri and Thaleon left a huge power vacuum in the Council. Many had departed from the Council while Anri and her champions were on Argus for many different reasons. Still reeling from Thaleon's betrayal and the loss from Hesskessana, Anri returned to a nearly empty Council. Despite the victory the forces of Azeroth achieved on Argus, Anri herself didn't feel anything like a victor. Quite the opposite, she has spent her whole life learning how to defeat the Burning Legion, and now it was defeated but at what cost? She was betrayed by someone she believed she trusted, she lost many people she cared about, the Legion's destruction was left all across Azeroth, specifically in Silithus, and now she had no purpose, no Legion to defeat. Anri spiraled down a dark path of depression. While others were celebrating, the older Warlock left for solitude, keeping to herself. She completely abandoned Runecrest, as Thaleon's old home only brought up bad memories. For several weeks, she brooded over what her life is meant for now. It wasn't until Anri caught wind of skirmishes in Silithus and Feralas that she would begin to find new purpose. Following up on these rumors, she learned of the mysterious new resource known as Azerite. This substance, she learned, was very potent, and would very clearly drag the Alliance and Horde into another war if left unchecked, which meant to Anri that more innocent people would die. Steeling her resolve, she once again felt like she had a purpose. She strode out to find a couple of old contacts. It was time to rebuild the Runefire Council and protect the Alliance. Reclaiming Rune Watch (Year 33) Anri contacted many old friends seeking to rebuilding the Council, most noticeably of which included Flora Cromwell and Aeristin Hyde. Working together with them, Anri helped spread the Runefire Council's message throughout Stormwind; that they are looking for those to help the Alliance, regardless of background. The Runefire Council's popularity exploded thanks to them, and dozens upon dozens of volunteers signed up with them, rebuilding their former numbers within the time span of two weeks. With the amount of volunteers catching Anri off-guard, she quickly realized that her new people needed a place to stay that wasn't Stormwind. Her first thought came to Rune Watch, which had been destroyed by the Legion the year previously. If they could reclaim that, then the Runefire Council would have a place to gather and work out of. There was one issue. Upon scouting out Rune Watch, she found much of it had already been rebuilt and occupied, not by members of the Runefire Council, or even the Alliance for that matter, but by members of the Horde. Using her former ties to the Embershield Protectorate as a reason to speak, she tried to diplomatically get the Horde to leave. After several negotiations, Anri failed in getting them to leave and she believed she was left with no other alternative. Rallying the members of the Council, she explained the situation to them and what was needed to happen. A plan was hatched, and thanks to the planning of Aeristin Hyde, the Council assaulted Rune Watch and its Horde protectors. It was a long, grueling battle, but eventually the Horde were defeated, with Anri declaring victory for the Runefire Council and the Alliance. With their victory, the people, her people, had a home once more. A New Horde Threat (Year 33) After the reclaiming of Rune Watch, the Runefire Council once more exploded under Anri's careful supervision. Ransacking some belongings that were so graciously left behind by the fallen Horde soldiers, it was discovered that the Horde occupying Rune Watch was no random move. In letters from a figure named 'N.B.', it was discovered that they would use Rune Watch as a staging ground to assault Stormwind. Anri assigned the Council's spymaster, Aeristin Hyde, to discover more information about it. Aeristin Hyde worked her wonders well, and found out that the Horde were planning a naval strike from Silvermoon, refueling at a Naval station on the way, and regrouping in Rune Watch, which from there they will march under the cover of night to Elwynn Forest and surprise the Horde. Anri knew that if the Horde got away with this invasion, hundreds of innocents would die. Gathering the Council, they decided the only solution would be to catch the Horde off-guard and put a stop them before they got to Runecrest. Anri gathered a group of Runefire volunteers and departed to Suncrest Naval Station, just off the coast of Tyr's Hand. Battle at Suncrest Naval Station w.i.p. =Stations= =Items of Interest= Ma'ad, the Heart of Chaos Ma'ad, the Heart of Chaos, is the name of Anri's legendary staff. Seeking a way to use her Fel powers to help her allies easier, Anri crafted this staff from the core of a Hellscape Infernal named Incineras. With this staff, her control over Felfire has multiplied, allowing her the ability to control jets of felfire much easier. =Quotes= -"We live in this...this world of warcraft, and we have to be the ones to change it!" =Trivia= -Anri's name is dervied from the classic Sega Genesis game, Shining Force. The name Anri is one of the playable characters, a princess who excels in Ice Magic, while Runefaust was the name of the evil kingdom of the game. Category:Stromic Category:Human Category:Order of the Black Harvest